Drilling apparatus



Sept. 17, 1935. w. L. CHURCH 2,014,927

DRILLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 22, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Qwuvwbo b L2 H h k Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE DRILLING APPARATUS Walter L. Church, Houston, Tex.

Application December 22, 1933, Serial No. 703,510 12 Claims. (!.255-72) This invention relates to'drilling apparatus.

An object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described for drilling wells and having novel means for supplying the fiushing fluid to the drill.

Another object of the invention is to provide in drilling apparatus, novel means for taking a core .or sample of the formation being pierced.

' Another object of the invention isto provide in drilling apparatus. a core barrel with novel means for anchoring the core barrel in placeand for releasing and withdrawing the same.

Another objeat is toprovide in drilling apparatus a novel type core catcher.

A further object is to provide in apparatus of this character novel means for withdrawing the core barrel.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- Figure l shows a side elevation of the complete device as attached to a drill stem.

Figure 2 shows a sideelevation of the lower end of the apparatus partly in section.

Figure 3 shows a fragmentary side view partly in section, showing a fishing tool connected to the upper end of the sample taking apparatus.

Figured shows a fragmentary side view, partly in section, showing the anchor means for the core barrel in inactive or released position.

Figure 5 shows a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3 Figure 6 shows a side elevation partly in section, of the drill, showing the pilot valve and core barrel in operative position.

Figure 7 shows a fragmentary side elevation partly in section, showing the anchor for the core barrel in active-position. I

Figure 8 shows a side elevation partly in section of the fishing tool employed, and

Figure 9 shows a side elevation of the core catcher.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral l designates a drill which is connected to the lower end of the drill collar 2. Connected to the upper end of this drill collar there is a special coupling 3 to the upper end of which the lower end of the drill stem 4 is connected. The drill 2 has a central axial bore 5 and a tubular pilot drill 8 may have its upper end inserted into said bore and secured therein in any suitable manner as by. welding. The lower end of the pilot drill may be provided with suitable teeth 1' whereby a core is formed when it is desired to take a core.

The drill I has the side water courses 8, 8 lead- 5' ing from the upper endthereof and terminating on opposite sides of the drill in front of the cutters.

The numeral 9 designates a core barrel which is tubularin form and the numeral l0 designates 10 a fishing tool as a whole. During ordinary drilling operations the core barrel and fishing tool will not be employed but the tubular pilot valve II will be supported on the upper end of the pilot drill. The reduced lower end of the pilot valve has a restricted channel i3 therethroughand while drilling, drilling fiuid is forced under pressure down through the drill stem 4 and part ofthis fluid passes on down through the channels 8 to thedrill cutters and a part down through the restricted channel H to the drill cutters of the pilot drill. This valve I l is employed so that the main volume of -the drilling fluid will not pass I down through the pilot drill but the required amount of said drilling fluid will pass under the required pressure down through the channels 8 to the cutters of the main drill .l The upper end of the pilot valve ii is inwardly beveled as at H and when it is desired to take a core the core barrel 9 is dropped down through the drill stem and passes on down until its lower end lands on the upper end of the pilot drill 8 as shown in Figure 6. The lower end of the core barrel is outwardly flared as at l5 so that it will readily pass over the upper end of the pilot valve ll. Attached to the upper end of the core barrel 9 there is the head I6 whose lower end has the valve chamber ll therein which incloses an upwardly opening ball valve i8 normally closing the passageway l9 which leads upwardly from the core barrel and the chamber ll has a side opening 20 above said'valve. The upper end of the head I6 is reduced forming a stem 2| and fitted over this stem and slidable thereon there is a- I are toothed to engage the inside teeth 23 in the inner wall of the coupling 3.

The expander 22 has the vertical side slots 29 and a pin 30 extends through the stem 2| and its ends work in said side slots 29. Within the expander 22 there is a coil push spring 32 which is interposed between the upper end of the stem 2 I and the expander and which normally operates to hold the expander in its upper position as shown in Figure 4 with the result that the slips 25 are held inwardly or in inactive position as shown in Figure 4, while the core barrel is being lowered into place. The coupling 3 is tubular to permit the core barrel to pass therethrough and above the teeth 28 thereof there is a packing ring 33, carried by the expander 22, which forms a fluid tight joint between said expander and the inside wall of said coupling. The coupling 3 has vertical channels 34 downwardly therethrough for the flow of the drilling fluid down through the drill stem to the drill.

When the core barrel is dropped into place and the drilling operation is begun the drilling fluid under pressure will be forced down through the drill stem passing through the channels 34 and 8 to the drill and the pressure of the fluid will force the expander 22 downwardly overcoming the pressure of the spring 32 and the expander will wedge between the slips 25 and the stem 2| forcing the slips outwardly into engagement with the teeth 28 and the core barrel. will be thereby locked and held in position to receive the core. Upon releasing of the pressure the spring 32 will move the expander upwardly to release the slips as shown in Figure 4, or if the expander is wedged too tightly in position to bereleased by said spring an upward pull on the expander by the fishing tool as hereinafter explained will operate to release said slips.

Within the core barrel above the valve I I there is a core catcher which in the present instance consists of the helical spring 35 whose outer end is attached to the core barrel as by means of a pin 36. The inner end of the spring is free and the spring is coiled in the direction of rotation of the drill.

As the core enters through the pilot drill 6 into the core barrel the core will force the valve ll up through the core catcher 35 and into the core barrel above as illustrated in Figure 2, the air or water in the core barrel above escaping through past the valve l8 and out into the drilling fluid and the core 31 will pass on up through the pilot drill i and through the core catcher. The friction of the core catcher against the core as the drill rotates will cause the core catcher to expand to permit the core to pass but when it is desired to withdraw the core barrel, the catcher will grip the sample or core and prevent it from dropping out. when it is desired to remove the core barrel for an-inspection of the sample the fishing tool "I may be let down into the drill stem by means of a suitable cable 33. This cable is attached to the socket 39 which carries a sinker bar 40 whose lower end is formed with a head 4!. This sinker bar is slidable through a gland 42 which is screwed into the upper end of the barrel 43 and connected to the lower end of said barrel 43 by means of the coupling 44 there is the tubuthe cage 45 by means of the pin 50 whereby the slips 48 are maintained in their lower position in the cage 45 seated against the seat 46.

When the fishing tool is let down into the drill stem the slips 43 will pass over the pin 43 and will engage said pin and upon upward pull on the cable 38 the core barrel may be withdrawn from the drill stem to the ground surface for an inspection of the core and upon this upward pull if the spring 32 has not already elevated the expander 22 and released the jaws 25, said expander 22 will be pulled upwardly relative to said jaws or slips 25 so that the latter will be released as shown in Figure 4. g

In some cases sand will collect about the core barrel and or about the expander 22 and the slips 25 so that the core barrel can not be dislodged and withdrawn by the line 33. In such case the sinker bar 40 may be lifted and dropped, the head 4| striking against the opposing face 5| of the cage the ring 52 will expand into the groove 53 and hold the anchor 41 and slips 48 in upper position as shown in Figure 3 with the slips 48 oif of the seat 46 and said slips will spring outwardly out of engagement with the pin 49 so that the fishing tool may be removed in case the core barrel cannot be dislodged'and withdrawn.

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of the invention by way of illustration only while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Drilling apparatus comprising a main drill having a tubular pilot drill and also having side channels and a valve seated in said pilot drill and having a restricted water channel therethrough, said channels forming passageways for drilling fluid to the drills.

2. Drilling apparatus comprising a main drill having a core receiving inlet and side channels, a

tubular pilot drill aligned with said inlet and extended beneath the main drill, a valve seated in the inlet and having a restricted passageway for fiuid therethrough whereby the passage of drilling fluid through the pilot drill will be retarded.

3. Drilling apparatus comprising a drill having a core receiving inlet and a side water channel, a tubular valve seated in said inlet and having its upper end beveled to facilitate the passage of a core barrel thereover and having a restricted water channel therethrough to permit the passage of only a part of the drilling fluid therethrough.

4. Drilling apparatus comprising a drill having a core receiving inlet, a tubular driving member for the drill, a core barrel in the driving member aligned with said inlet and a helical expansible core catcher anchored in the barrel.

5. In drilling apparatus a tubular core barrel, a helical, expansible core catcher in the barrel whose outer end is anchored to the barrel and whose inner end is free.

6. Drilling apparatus comprising a drill having a core receiving inlet and a side water channel, a tubular driving stem for driving the drill, a tubular core former attached to the drill in alignment with the inlet and extended beneath the drill, a core barrel anchored in the stem in alignment with said inlet, a tubular valve seated in the inlet and having a restricted channel therethrough, said valve being shaped to permit the barrel to pass downwardly thereover upon descent of the barrel as drilling progresses.

7. Drilling apparatus comprising a drill having a core receiving inlet, a separate tubular core former whose upper end is anchored in the inlet and forms a seat and whose lower end extends beneath the drill, a tubular driving member to which the drill is attached, a tubular core barrel anchored in said driving member and whose lower end rests on said seat.

8. Drilling apparatus comprising a tubular driving member, a drill attached to the lower end of said member and having a core receiving inlet, a core barrel in the apparatus aligned with the iniet, wedge shaped gripping means on the barrei, an expander on the barrel exposed to the pressure of the drilling fluid passing downwardly through the driving member and operable by said pressure, to move the' gripping means outwardly into engagement with the driving member.

9. Drilling apparatus comprising a tubular driving member, a drilling tool on the lower end thereof having a sample receiving inlet, a removable sample receiver in the stem, outwardly movable gripping means on said receiver, an expander yieldingly mounted above the sample receiver and normally holding the gripping means inactive and being movable downwardly against the gripping means to move said gripping means outwardly into engagement with the wall of the driving member.

10. Drilling apparatus comprising a tubular driving member, a drilling tool on the lower end thereof having a sample receiving inlet, ,a removable sample receiver in the stem, outwardly movable gripping means on said receiver, an expander yieldingly mounted above the sample receiver and normally maintaining the gripping means inactive and being movable downwardly against the gripping means to move said gripping means outwardly into engagement with the wall of the driving member, said expander being operatively connected with the gripping means whereby, upon upward movement of the expander, the gripping means will be retracted, to inactive position.

11'. Drilling apparatus comprising a tubular driving member, a drilling tool on the lower end thereof having a sample receiving inlet, a removable sample receiver in the stem, outwardly movable gripping means on said receiver, an expander yieldingly mounted above the sample receiver and movable downwardly against the gripping means to move said gripping means outwardly into engagement with the wall of the driving member, and means forming a fluid tight joint between the expander and the walls of the driving member.

12. A'drilling apparatus comprising a boring tool hanng an axial bore and a tubular pilot drill co-axial with said bore, said boring tool having side channels through which drilling fluid may be supplied to the tool, a tubular valve seated in the bore of the drilling tool and having a restricted water channel through which said drilling fluid may be delivered to the pilot drill.

WALTER L. CHURCH. 

